Modern commercial/private aircraft, as well as older aircraft, include a myriad of instrumentation panels having controls and displays used to present information related to the controls. The controls and the displays are operated, viewed, and interpreted by a pilot/copilot during flight of an aircraft. Some of these controls are used for assisting the pilot/copilot with navigation, such as an altimeter, an airspeed indicator, a horizontal situation indicator, an attitude indicator, and the like. Other controls are used to permit radio communication with other pilots in the air or with air traffic controllers during flight. Still more controls, in recent years, are used to assist in navigation using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems associated with satellite technology. Furthermore, transponder controls permit the aircraft to be uniquely identified and the aircraft's altitude/position communicated to air traffic controllers during flight.
For a neophyte, the quantity of controls and display panels contained within the cockpit of an aircraft are daunting. Even experienced pilots/copilots must stay focused at any given moment in time during flight to access various controls within the cockpit and interpret information presented on various displays throughout the cockpit. As a result, pilots must continually scan a plurality of available displays for vital information at any particular moment in time during flight.
In recent years, flight management systems (FMS) have emerged, wherein some controls within the cockpit have been centralize into a single location within the cockpit, usually located next to the seat of the pilot. With a FMS, the pilot can tune various controls associated with displays located throughout the cockpit. Yet, the pilot may still be forced to access controls which are physically separated from the displays and multiple displays still exist within the cockpit. Additionally, the pilot often cannot look at both the controls and the displays at the same time.
In recent years, multifunction displays (MFDs) have been developed wherein a single display presents control data associated with a select few controls within the cockpit. However, not all of the controls are integrated into the bezel which surrounds the MFDs, nor are the controls in close proximity to the MFDs. Moreover, the MFDs are limited to presenting data related to only a few select controls within the cockpit. Correspondingly, the pilot still must manage a myriad of displays and controls located at various locations throughout the cockpit.
Furthermore, the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) has desired that some sensors have backup sensors and be further capable of having backup presentation of setting data on multiple displays within the cockpit in the event a primary sensor or display, presenting the setting data associated with the sensors, should fail during flight. Backup is especially important for communication sensors and navigational sensors, since these sensors vitally assist a pilot during flight. Generally, these sensors are set as radio frequencies by tuning controls, although in recent years GPS sensors provide additional navigational information. Furthermore, one or more channels are generally required for both communication and navigation within the aircraft during flight. These channels are recognized by those skilled in the art by the acronyms of COM1, COM2, NAV1, and NAV2. Moreover, these channels are associated with a variety of controls within the cockpit and can be used to provide redundancy desired by the FAA.
Yet, existing cockpit control systems and cockpit instrument panels do not provide seamless integration with respect to COM1, COM2, NAV1, and NAV2 controls. As a result, the pilot is forced to manually switch to alternate displays and controls in the event of a sensor or a display failure. Further, the pilot is often forced to view multiple displays to obtain all the relevant setting data associated with the sensors.
In fact, existing cockpit displays do not provide vital flight setting information data for timely access. Flight information data includes, by way of example only, COM1 settings, COM2 settings, NAV1 settings, NAV2 settings, autopilot settings, and other flight control settings (e.g., altitude settings, vertical speed settings, and the like). Correspondingly, a pilot often glances around the cockpit to view multiple displays during the flight in order to acquire all the requisite flight information data.
As is apparent to those skilled in the art, a pilot and copilot must remain alert and focused on controls and displays at critical points during the flight, such as takeoffs, landings, inclement weather, emergencies, or equipment malfunctions. Thus, pilots/copilots are required to have many hours of training to master the controls and displays within the cockpit before receiving the proper certification to fly an aircraft. This is especially true with larger commercial aircraft. Moreover as a result of the heightened mental acuity required during flight, many federal regulations also restrict the amount of time a pilot/copilot is permitted to fly in any given day in order to ensure the pilot/copilot remains alert during flight.
Therefore, there exists a need for better integrated cockpit displays and presentations of flight information within a cockpit, thereby permitting a pilot/copilot to acquire vital flight information data more rapidly and correspondingly better manage the controls related to the flight information data during flight.